


precious

by sherrybaby



Category: IT (2017), IT - Stephen King
Genre: AU, M/M, Stozier, fan fic, i slaved over this ugh, mentions of mike & bev & greta & henry, soulmate
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-20
Updated: 2017-09-20
Packaged: 2018-12-31 22:01:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,296
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12142032
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sherrybaby/pseuds/sherrybaby
Summary: soulmate au- songs get stuck in your head because your soulmate is singing them





	precious

**Author's Note:**

> But I don’t need to bleed you dry  
> Or take you over for the rest of your life  
> It’s just that I need something solid in mine 
> 
> \- “precious”, the jam

richie was getting real tired of this “soulmate” shit, and he told ben as much as they stood at their lockers between classes.

“why?”

“they’ve been singing “don’t you want me” all. morning.”

“what’s the problem? that’s a great song!”

“not when all they fucking know is don’t you want me, baby? don’t you want me OOOOHHHHHHH! just those two lines for two hours straight.”

“well, i think mine’s happy,” ben slightly blushed- he always blushed talking about mike- “he’s singing “just can’t get enough.” the whole song though, not just the chorus,” ben teased richie who groaned in frustration.

“it’s bullshit that we’re “connected” like this, people get songs stuck in their heads because their “soulmate” is singing them. who’s idea was  _that_?” he paused. “i think mine’s defective. is it possible to get a new one?”

“i don’t think so, rich. think of it as a way to show them new music or at least learn that one song!”

“sometimes i get really tired of you looking on the bright side of things, haystack.” richie finished shoving books into his bag for his next class. not that he opened them, he just wanted to at least look like he was doing work while he wrote out new material. his grades- normally a’s and b’s- had been slipping lately, and his behavior had gotten out of hand, but he didn’t need another call home; not that his parents would have done anything about it.

* * *

“h-how’s it g-g-going, richie?” bill greeted him. “any luck on the s-soulmate thing?”

“i told him,” ben giggled, noticing his look.

“no. asshole. i’ve been humming the opening lines to mickey. maybe that’ll teach them to stop being so fucking annoying.”

“sounds like a p-p-perfect match for ya, rich!” bill slung his arm around richie’s shoulders.

“fuck off, denbrough.”

bill and ben had already met their people, eddie and mike, respectively. bev too. hers, surprising everyone, was greta fucking bowie. turns out, she was actually a pretty neat person, once you got past the self-important asshole persona she put on. bev had softened greta’s bitchy personality, humbled her a bit. and greta loved and supported beverly through everything with her father, and taught her it was okay to be vulnerable at times. she even helped trim beverly’s hair when it was growing out too much.

richie felt a pang of jealousy, especially because he had had slight feelings for bev, and eddie, at one point or another before everyone got “involved.” not that he would’ve admitted any of it. his friends were happy and he was happy for them, but, for once,  _he_  wanted to know what it was like to be really truly happy. 

* * *

richie noticed it was silent for a few days. bill had once told him that he and eddie had communicated through song, just a couple of lyrics back and forth. not really a conversation, just,  _feelings._  bill couldn’t really explain it but richie thought he understood well enough. then again, bill and eddie were together by that point so he wasn’t even sure if he and his soulmate were connected enough to even try this, but, well, here he was, in bed, feeling foolish and lonely enough to give it a shot. he began to sing

 _“good times for a change,_  
see the luck I’ve had,   
can make a good man turn bad  
so please, please, please  
let me, let me, let me,  
let me get what i want this time”

he waited with bated breath for something, anything. his mind was racing, not with thoughts, but with sounds. he felt like his entire body was buzzing. he fell asleep before he got his answer.

* * *

his friend noticed how zombie-like richie was the next day. he confided in ben what he had tried the night before. ben smiled sympathetically.

“i’m not so sure that was true, richie,” he spoke softly. “i’ve never heard of that happening before. i think maybe he thought it happened, but i don’t think it actually did. maybe he was just trying to cheer you up.” ben patted his shoulder before catching mike in the crowd and wrapping his arms around the taller boy’s frame, hanging on him like an oversized backpack. t was adorable. richie was sickened.

* * *

he kept thinking about it on the walk home.

he heard whistling behind him but couldn’t place the song. then, it hit him. the fucking smiths. he whirled around and spotted stan uris walking in his direction, eyes scanning the trees. stan uris, with his tucked in button down shirt and his pressed jeans- who presses their fucking jeans? with his dark eyes and clean skin. his curly hair was the only unruly thing about him. no signs of scrapes or scratches, nothing resembling what richie would call a normal childhood. and he liked that. richie’s loudmouth wild energy, complimented by stan’s quiet, dark, smart one; it was exciting and new and it was the only thing that had ever made sense.

“you.”

“me?” the younger boy looked puzzled, barely giving him a glance before returning to the woods.

“ _you?”_

 _“_ can i help you with something, richie? “ stan seemed mildly annoyed, and richie was about to ask why, but remembered hearing henry and his gang rank stan out after gym. 

_stan had been cleaning the toes of his hi-tops off, cuffing his jeans twice and making sure they were the same length. henry walked by, scuffing stan’s shoe.  
_

_“oops.”  
_

_while stan was distracted, belch huggins had grabbed his gym clothes and stuffed them in the toilet. richie saw stan’s cheeks flush, a tell-tale sign he was upset but, as always, stayed quiet._. 

he knew, everyone knew that stan liked being orderly. he would show up to class overly prepared, overly organized, but no one gave him any shit for that, at least. no, stan was bullied for much more darker reasons, and knowing what he did, that this was his person, richie vowed to protect him.

“wait, did you hear me? last night?”

“doing what?”

“singing!”

“whatever you’re on, you should start doing less of it. excuse me, i have to get home.”

“no, stan, wait. you seriously have no idea what i’m talking about? the smiths? “mickey?” “don’t you want me?””

realization spread across stan’s face.

“oh fuck,  _you_?! can i get a refund?”

richie’s face twisted into shock and he opened his mouth to retort, then he realized stan was laughing. 

_(at him? no, no, at the joke he made)_

richie joined him, and was surprised at how easily his laughter came, how free he finally felt, like he didn’t have to bear the weight of the world anymore.

“so…” stan started as the laughter died down.

“so… are you feeling better? after gym?”

“i’m used to it,” stan said lightly, shrugging. they began walking again.

“you shouldn’t be.”

stan glanced over and grinned, feeling lighter. he  _had_  been joking when he asked for a refund, but richie had always been a little too much for him to handle. this softer side was something new, and stan was anxious to learn more about it.

“oh, hey, stan? learn a full fucking song.” richie grinned, linking their arms together. stan made a noise of disgust and rolled his eyes.

“i  _hate_  don’t you want me, because all i ever hear is the chorus, and it gets stuck in my head and drives me nuts.”

“that actually explains a lot of things.” 

“but seriously, “ _mickey?” really?”_

 _“_ you annoyed me, so i annoyed you back,” richie replied, shrugging, his eyes even more magnified behind his coke bottle glasses.

stan laughed now, loudly and full, and a warmth spread throughout richie’s body. the boys sang duets as they walked to stan’s house, finally feeling at peace. 

 


End file.
